THE LITTLE PRINCE

A South African adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic fable by the inaugural Kwasha Theatre Company.

Originally written in French, The Little Prince is the world’s most translated book, outside of religious works. It is translated in 300 languages including English, Zulu, Afrikaans and Xhosa. It tells the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. Known as a children’s tale, it is also considered as a metaphor of a grown-up meeting his inner child. It is a philosophical contemplation of love, loneliness, friendship, adulthood and happiness.

This decolonised South African adaptation of The Little Prince was commissioned by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) with the support of Mazars and The Market Theatre Foundation. The play was performed by the inaugural Kwasha Theatre Company and premiered at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2018. The production then toured South Africa including Durban, Bloemfontein, Sasolburg, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The story of The Little Prince begins when the narrator comes across a mysterious little boy in the middle of the Sahara’s desert who tells him about his adventures. The Little Prince left his small asteroid where he lived with a very special Rose, to start an intergalactic travel. He visited many planets where grown-ups incarnate humankind’s most common vices before landing on Earth where he learnt his most important lesson from a fox: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye”.

The production was nominated for the best ensemble production at the 2019 Naledi Awards.

Written by: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Co-Directed by: Mwenya Kabwe and Clara Vaughan
Cast: 2018 Kwasha Theatre Company – Balindile ka Ngcobo, Khanyisile Ngwabe, Lesego Chabedi, Matthews Rontsoma, Sinenhlanhla Mgeyi
Set and Costume Design: Wilhem Disbergen
Lighting Design: Sibusiso David Ndumndum
Sound Design: João Renato Orecchia Zúñiga
Choreography: Daniel Buckland
Stage Management: Ali Monanye Madiga